REVIEW: Musician Matisyahu

By Oliver Josephson

Do you feel that these days talent and originality is lacking in the music world? Almost every new artist these days sounds the same. It is either sappy corny pop songs or unoriginal hip-hop about sex, money and partying. Despite the lack of talent, there is still hope from one fairly new musician, Matthew Miller, most commonly known as Matisyahu. He is the one and only Hasidic Jewish reggae rap star, a New York native, who resides in Crown Heights, a Hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn.

I discovered Matisyahu a long time ago when I became interested in hip-hop. Because I am born Jewish, I had the urge to know if a Jewish rapper existed. It all started when I asked my father if there was such a thing as a Jewish rapper. He said, “there is one: Matisyahu.” That year I got one of his CDs for a Hanukah present. At first, I liked it but was not an enthusiast and did not listen to it for a while. Then last year around Passover I decided to listen and then became obsessed as I was blasting it on my stereo. I got tickets to see one of his show. To me, he is truly inspirational and I would consider him a new genius in the music world.

Matisyahu has been part of the music scene for about seven years. He became successful due to his talent and originality. His music, depending on his songs, can either have a hip-hop, reggae, rock, or electronic techno feel with lyrics that have to do with Jewish spirituality, pride towards Judaism, and about making our world a more positive place. He is also a master beat boxer. All of the beat box beats are done through his own voice and sound as they are part of a mix tape. His music is inspired and influenced by world famous reggae artist Bob Marley and current rap artists such as Nas, Sizzla, and Cappleton. Matisyahu plays with all kinds of musicians when he records and performs. However, his most tightly knitted group he plays with in the studio and in concert venues is the band called the Dub Trio, which includes bass player Stu Brooks, guitar player Dave Holmes, and Joe Tomino on drums and keyboards creating dub sounds beyond belief.

As for his CDs, I would highly recommend his famous “Live at Stubbs” in Austin, Texas ones, which I currently own. There are two volumes of “Live at Stubbs,” volumes one and two. Volume one has more of a reggae techno hip-hop feel and is his earliest album. Then volume two is more recent and the songs have more of a rock feel and the songs are longer. Then he has other albums, which I have yet to explore such as “Youth” and “Light,” and a new album of his that he just released called “Miracle.”

Matisyahu loves performing. It is his life. He says you do not get the same feel and energy in the studio as you do when you perform. Seeing his shows are a one of a kind experience. This past summer I saw one of his shows that was part of his summer tour in Lowell, Massachuessetts. The energy was unbelievable. The crowd was wild and the stage was bursting with sound. All of the instruments were at full blast. For Matisyahu, there is no such thing as too loud. At this show while the sound was at full blast, at one point during one of his songs he said “more base, turn that thing all the way up, we are going to blow this whole place up.” The one word to describe this show was epic. It was filled with cheers, stage dives, and excitement. The overall rhythm of the band was exemplary and he played his top songs such as “Jerusalem,” King Without a Crown,” which made the top 40 hit list in the United States, and “One Day” which was played on NBC during the Olympic games in November 2009. I would highly recommend seeing one of his shows. He is currently doing a Festival of Light tour around the U.S. to celebrate Hanukah and will be doing more in the future as he is a growing musician. Also, his shows are generally affordable. Tickets to see him are usually between $25-$30 per person and you get to see something truly brilliant.